Richmond Renaissance – Day 17

On Day 17 we revisited the Civil War brochure and picked out another cluster of sites, this time south of Richmond.

The route to our first destination seemed odd to me. I was used to driving along country roads to get to most of the Civil War sites we visited. This time, I was winding very close to the freeway. I was beginning to question our location when I saw this sign confirming we were on the right path.

I wasn’t expecting much out of this smallish stop near the freeway. At first glance, it looked a lot like some of the other sites we had been to. But I was in for a surprise. This turned out to be the hidden gem of the Civil War battlefield sites and perhaps the very best one in Richmond!

We started down the trail not knowing what was in store for us. The trail is about 1 mile. It starts off paved and then becomes a dirt path. There are benches placed strategically along the route so you can rest if you get tired. The path is shaded which is really helpful on a hot day.

Eventually, you emerge from the trail to an open area overlooking the James River.

Drewry’s Bluff/Fort Darling was a strategic point along the James River and was an important part of the Confederate defense of Richmond. While we think a lot about Army battles with bullets whizzing through woods and farmland, we don’t often remember to think about the naval battles of the Civil War. The Union strategy was to sail up the James River in their ironclad battleships and “shell Richmond into submission.”

Drewry’s Bluff thwarted all those plans. Perched high above the James, it was relatively easy for the Confederates to place cannons here to attack incoming ships. The Confederates had quite a good strategy here, sinking all kinds of debris in the James River so that ships were slowed down and could not pass all while being fired on by cannons. The Confederates famously drove off the USS Galena and after the experience, the Union never again challenged the guns of Drewry’s Bluff by water.

Drewry’s Bluff grew into a large Confederate military city with barracks, a chapel, post office, hotel, and a Masonic lodge. Civilians would come here to picnic and socialize while watching the soldiers drill.

My pictures don’t capture how impressive this battlefield is. There is something about the overlook and the positioning of the cannon that helps people like me with little knowledge of battlefield tactics to really understand what the military strategy was here. It is also a gorgeous view.

There are some short trails into the woods nearby where you can see various earthworks.

This was by far the most popular battlefield we visited. We were used to having the battlefield almost entirely to ourselves and here we ran into small groups of tourists continually. It was never “crowded” though and you certainly had plenty of space to reflect and take pictures to your heart’s content.

After the high of Drewry’s Bluff, we made our way toward Fort Harrison. Fort Harrison was a series of earthworks designed to protect Chaffin’s Bluff which is on the opposite side of the river from Drewry’s Bluff. The Confederates obviously wanted to make sure they had both sides of the river covered against Union attack.

Along the way to Fort Harrison we encountered signs for much smaller forts, Fort Gilmer and Fort Johnson. Fort Gilmer has a very sad story. At the end of the Civil War, September 29, 1964, Union soldiers managed to capture Fort Harrison. As they tried to expand their victory and capture the neighboring forts, however, they met fierce resistance. Fort Gilmer, was one of the first major campaigns of the USCT, the U.S. Colored Troops, comprised of free blacks from the northern states and recently emancipated slaves. It was a decisive victory for the Confederates who had a superior position bolstered by the protection of earthworks.

Fort Johnson is almost a sign in the woods near a residential neighborhood. There is not a huge amount to see here but we do learn the interesting fact that battlefield technologies were evolving as the war progressed. After the Union “Crater” at Petersburg, the Confederates became paranoid about hidden explosives. At Fort Johnson, they began implementing their own hidden explosives, such as land mines.

When we reached Fort Harrison, we learned that the Visitor’s Center was closed (perhaps due to budget cuts). We weren’t able to see the small museum and exhibits but the large battlefield was at our disposal.
The battlefield had many earthworks but the path was relatively flat. The heat probably didn’t help us enjoy more of what we were seeing. There were two very interesting signs though, one with an impressive portrait of the USCT and the other a fascinating story about Grant’s literal courage under fire.

We also learned a bit about Civil War nomenclature. If you are Confederate, you would refer to this area as Fort Harrison but if you are Union, you refer to it as Fort Burnham in recognition of the Union capture of this fort in 1864. Lee was so incensed at the loss of Fort Harrison, he organized a group of 10,000 troops to attempt to recapture it but was unsuccessful in this effort.

A bit hot and tired, but full of history, we headed out to pick up the girls from camp.